JournalismPakistan.com | Published July 03, 2021
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD—While paying rich tributes to the sports journalists' resolve to work for the betterment of athletes, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib said their role in highlighting players' plight during tough COVID-19 days was praiseworthy.
The minister spoke at the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (Registered) function to celebrate the International Sports Journalism Day at the Islamabad Tennis Complex.
“It is praiseworthy to see sports journalists even taking the risk, reaching to suffering athletes and trying to seek help for them. No doubt sports journalism is one of the most important parts of journalism, and no one can ignore their utility in the society for their respective organizations.”
He said that sports journalists had always played a critical role in raising the status of an ordinary athlete to a level of international athlete. “It is because of the sports journalists that today we see a number of Pakistan players getting international status. Without their help that would not have been possible.”
The minister said that sports journalists’ quota in government-sponsored housing schemes has already been allocated. “Those journalists, including sports journalists who have no house of their own to live, will be accommodated in that scheme.”
Former international match referee Col (Retd) Naushad Ali said that Pakistan sports journalists have far better knowledge. “I have the honor of communicating with numerous international sports journalists during my tenure as the manager of the Pakistan national cricket team. I always found Pakistan journalists (majority) more knowledgeable and having grip on that particular issue on which they were taking. Indeed, they deserve a better deal.”
Former Pakistan Open champion and Pride of Performance recipient Farhan Mehboob said that he had achieved the world No 14 status because of the support of sports journalists. “Without their contribution. I would not have been able to reach this level.”
Emerging cricketer Rohail Nazir also hailed sports journalists’ role. “Whenever I performed well, sports journalists from all over the country praised my work and I am thankful to them.”
Earlier, RISJA Chairman Abdul Mohi Shah thanked the minister for devoting time to celebrate the day with journalists. “The sports journalists in the country are facing numerous problems. We hope that the government would help make sports journalism one of the most valuable forms of journalism. Sports journalism around the world is considered the most important part of the journalism family. Here in Pakistan, however, it is still struggling as a major part of the society can easily be lured by fake slogans. In sports journalism you can only depict the reality which surely is the hallmark of this profession.”
President RISJA Ayaz Akbar said that sports journalists should receive the same respect in the corridors of power as the political journalists. “RISJA will always fight for the genuine cause of sports journalism.”
Later, Farrukh Habib presented a shield to honor the services rendered by the veteran sports journalist Faheem Anwar.
March 15, 2025: Explore the dynamic relationship between athletes and sports journalists, examining the challenges, ethical dilemmas, and mutual benefits that shape the sports media landscape.
March 08, 2025: An in-depth analysis of Pakistan cricket's descent into chaos under Aaqib Javed's leadership, examining the controversial selection decisions, political interference, and systemic failures that undermined the national team ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
March 02, 2025: An unsparing analysis of Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025 squad selection reveals not merely inexperience but a systemic rot of patronage networks, political expedience, and intellectual bankruptcy within Pakistan's cricket governance, continuing a tragic history of selection failures.
March 01, 2025: Pakistan cricket's selection paradox: a system where players like Babar Azam thrive despite, not because of, the process. This analysis reveals how positional shifts, political decisions, and philosophical failures continue to undermine a team capable of brilliance but hamstrung by a selection committee that mistakes chaos for strategy.
February 28, 2025: An in-depth analysis of Pakistan cricket's selection dysfunction ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, examines how the absence of a philosophical framework has led to incoherent squad choices, conflicting decisions, and a system that prioritizes survival over strategy.
February 26, 2025: Shaheen Shah Afridi’s rise was a spectacle of raw, untamed talent. But Pakistan’s cricketing establishment failed him, leading to a career plagued by injuries and mismanagement. Can he reclaim his dominance, or is his best past him? Read the full story.
February 26, 2025: Explore the extraordinary legacy of Major Dhyan Chand, India's hockey wizard who redefined the sport, won three Olympic golds, and inspired generations with his unmatched brilliance.
February 24, 2025: An incisive analysis of Pakistan cricket's systemic failures, examining how bureaucratic inertia, self-serving former players and resistance to modernization have eroded the nation's cricketing excellence despite abundant talent.
April 11, 2025 Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025 The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025 Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025 The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025 Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.